Michael Arace commentary: It's too early to put handle on Crew after home opener

Sunday

Mar 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 17, 2013 at 10:28 AM

The Crew played its 18th home opener, and its 15th at Crew Stadium, amid conditions that conjured the Scottish Premier League. Some 16,528 well-bundled souls huddled and braced as the temperature plummeted and the wind chill made it feel like 20 degrees. The Nordecke, of course, was packed, laden with antifreeze and in midseason form.

Michael Arace, The Columbus Dispatch

The Crew played its 18th home opener, and its 15th at Crew Stadium, amid conditions that conjured the Scottish Premier League. Some 16,528 well-bundled souls huddled and braced as the temperature plummeted and the wind chill made it feel like 20 degrees. The Nordecke, of course, was packed, laden with antifreeze and in midseason form.

The new MLS season is just beginning to take root, and this was the first opportunity for local supporters to put naked eyeballs on the home team. The result was mixed. The Crew scored on a set piece in the 68th minute, took a brief nap and surrendered the tying goal in the 73rd minute. So it ended 1-1.

“I think we played against a very good team,” coach Robert Warzycha said. “You have to remember, they won the Supporters’ Shield last year. That’s still the same team.”

Such was a major theme of Warzycha’s postgame news conference: San Jose is very good. That is true. The Earthquakes had the best record in the league last year.

At the same time, the Crew has been touted as a contender for the Eastern Conference championship. Should there be a palpable sense of loss after blowing a late lead and losing, in the home opener, to a team that was without three injured forwards?

To be fair, that is a question for another day. The Crew is 1-1-1. It is early yet.

“For the home opener, you always feel excited and you want to win,” goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum said. “You want to show the fans they’re in for a good year. I think we still have good possibilities — we can do some good things this year. (A 1-1 tie) is not the end of the world, but we definitely wanted three (points).”

The Crew opened with a 3-0 victory over Chivas USA in Carson, Calif. The game was less lopsided than the score, but at least there were strong signs of a fruitful offense. In week two, the Crew lost 2-1 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a dome in British Columbia. The Crew did not take care of the ball well enough to earn a point.

Last night, the Crew let two points get away. It again was prone to turnovers. The players got too comfortable when they went up a goal. They left one side of the field uncovered on the tying goal, a left-footed strike from the left side by San Jose wing defender Justin Morrow.

This was a night where neither team generated much in the way of sustained offense. Crew defender Chad Marshall is back to Defender of the Year form for the Crew. San Jose’s back wall, with hulks Jason Hernandez and Victor Bernardez in the middle, was like an iron drape on the backs of Jairo Arrieta and Dominic Oduro. To get a goal was a feat, and to give one up was a dagger.

“We’ve got a good goalie, the back line is solid and we have some talent on other parts of the field,” Crew defender Josh Williams said. “It’s just a matter of getting the midfield linked in, and then things will start falling into place.”

It is worth mentioning that the Crew was without midfielder Eddie Gaven (sprained ankle), who has missed two games but is expected to play at D.C. United on Saturday. It also is worth noting that attacking midfielder Federico Higuain — who set up Glauber’s goal on a corner kick — was dangerous throughout. He will be a treat to watch for a full season.

“Everyone has a good sense about this team,” Gruenebaum said. “We’ve got some talent between what we have coming back from last year and what we’ve added this year. This team can really rally around some key players and make a run. We’re excited.”

What do they have here? They have just gotten through the home opener, they are neither ascending nor descending right now, and there are signs that point in either direction.

Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.

marace@dispatch.com

@MichaelArace1

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